


Wicked Games

by Julia_child_1980



Series: Liaisons Dangereuses [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Hydra (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-05-27 12:45:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6285046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Julia_child_1980/pseuds/Julia_child_1980
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil coulson has a lot of problems. Hydra is targeting the reputations of the Avengers. Also he gets distracted by the new woman in his life, but is this new woman exactly who he thinks she is?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tony Stark in trouble.

Chapter 1  
“Mr. Stark, the only common denominator between these five women is the fact that they once shared your bed. Ages, looks, social background, social circles, employers, all different. The only thing they have in common is that at one time or another they had an affair with you.” The detective looked serious, five women tied to this man were found dead in the last month.  
“Is that an allegation? You know I’ve been in a serious relationship for years now, so it must have been years since I’ve talked, let alone slept with any of these women.”  
“It’s not an allegation, we think that someone wants to hurt you, maybe frame you for these murders. Do you have any enemies, mister Stark?”  
“I have a lot of enemies, detective. I couldn’t even start giving you a list. Hydra, an Asgardian god called Loki and his followers, but also enemies of Stark Industries.”  
“Could you make us a list anyway? We will look into it.”  
After the detective left, Tony immediately picked up his phone and made a call.   
“Director Coulson’s office, how may I help you.”  
“Tony Stark for the director.”  
“I will put you through.”  
“Phil Coulson speaking.”  
“Phil, it’s Tony, I need your help.”  
“What can I do for you, Tony?”  
“Someone is killing of women who I slept with, I need you to find out who. I can’t leave this to the police, they have no idea of the players in our circles.”  
“Okay, that sounds very serious. Start at the beginning.”  
“Five women, in the last month, who have nothing in common but me, have been killed. The police thinks someone wants to hurt me.”  
“Good of you to call me. I will come over tomorrow to discuss it. You want me to take over the investigation officially or unofficially?”  
“Unofficially, but I will inform the police, maybe get you some copies of the files?”  
“We do have jurisdiction as it regards one of the avengers. I will see you around ten tomorrow morning.”  
Phil Coulson hung up the phone and made notes of this call. He was worried. Apparently someone wanted to put Tony Stark in a bad light. And with his previous lifestyle it would be near impossible to warn all the women concerned.   
There was a knock on the door. His secretary came in and told him his two o’clock had arrived. “Her name is Annika Schmidt, our new consultant regarding Norse language and Mythology.” A woman got in wearing a 40’s style suit, her blond hair put up, her blue eyes hidden behind black rimmed glasses. Her lips were painted bright red and she was wearing four inch heels, which made her slightly taller than him. Phil Coulson got up from his chair, walked up to her and shook her hand.   
“Miss Schmidt, nice to meet you. Please sit down.”  
“Nice to meet you too, Director.” She sat down and Phil grabbed a file from his desk and quickly leafed through it.  
“I see you have a PhD. In Norse Language and Mythology, impressive and very useful, especially since the Asgardians came to earth a couple of years ago.”  
“I must say I was quite surprised myself, but my expertise has never been in greater demand, I must say.” She smirked. “It’s also nice to work on something practical and new instead of just rereading the elder and younger Edda over and over again.”  
“I can imagine.” He smiled at her. “I understand you have been shown around and given some files by the head of the department?”  
“Yes. I will be busy reading up on your discoveries and research for about a week.”   
“I see that you have the Dutch nationality, but you have a German last name and an interest in Norse culture, how did that happen?”  
“My paternal grandparents are German, my maternal great grandparents were Norwegian. I have always been interested in my roots. The Norwegian ones turned out way more interesting than the German ones.” Phil nodded. “I see your security clearance is in order, it’s limited to your work area, but if there are any problems I want you to come see me.”  
“Of course, sir.”  
“Why don’t you call me Phil. I am not your boss, your an independent consultant.”  
“I know, Phil.” She put emphasis on the last word and smirked at him. “I should go now, I have taken enough of your time.”  
As she walked away, Phil deliberated whether it would be inappropriate to ask a independent consultant for dinner, or drinks. He normally didn’t like blonds, but he did like intelligent, capable women who dared talk back to him. And smirked. And looked like they could come straight out of the forties in vintage suits. He dismissed the thought, not wanting to cause any problems. He took a report from his desk and started reading it, not really being able to concentrate with the whole Tony thing and the behind of his new consultant fighting for dominance in his mind. He decided to take an early afternoon and go to the gym to work it all off.


	2. Natasha in trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha gets into trouble. Phil gets more and more infatuated by Annika.

Chapter 2  
Phil walked into Tony’s office at Stark Towers.   
“Phil, thank you so much for coming, I have requested the files from the police, telling them Shield will be aiding in the investigation, but they told me they need an official request from you guys.”  
“I will get to that when I get back in the office. Have you made a list of things you think I should look into? Found any communality between the women, except that they had sex with you? Is there a way someone could know you had sex with all of these women.”  
“Well, I was photographed with all of them...”  
“Is there a communality in the events you were photographed at? Maybe the photographer, a magazine that showed all photo’s?”  
“Events, not really. Dinner, charity event, coming out of a club... Photographer, I don’t know, you know how many paparazzi were following me when I was still single? And how many articles were written about ‘the women in Tony Starks life’?”  
“I will let one of my researchers look into photographers and magazines, maybe we can make the circle of women that are at risk smaller.”  
“Yes, they should be warned. Here is my list of enemies. I don’t think the names will be a surprise for you. But I do think that you will be able to handle this better than the police.”  
“Thank you for the confidence, Tony. I will get to it.”  
“Phil, now we’re talking, you haven’t RSVP’d to Peppers invitation for our charity event yet. You know it’s just four days away. Are you coming and are you bringing a plus one?”  
“I’ll let you know tonight, if that is alright.”  
Back at the office he put in the official request to the police, about aiding them in the Tony Stark case, he put a researcher to work, trying to make the circle of women who might be at risk smaller. He had been deliberating whether he would ask Annika as his plus one for the charity event. He hated such events. He could at least mix business with pleasure. So he went up to the research department. He found her behind her desk, in a vintage dress in 70’s pattern. Her hair was down, her lips still red. She was reading a file, concentrating. She heard him and looked up. She smiled.   
“Hello Phil, what can I do for you?”  
“I was just checking up on how you were doing.”  
“Still reading up. Thank you for asking. Nice tie by the way, really brings out your eyes.” Phil was surprised for a second, was this woman flirting with him?  
“Thank you. I was wondering if you have something to do on Saturday. I have an invitation for a charity event and Tony Stark has been bugging me about bringing a plus one.” She smiled and cocked her head. “It would give you a real good introduction to most of the players in our field. And I would get Tony Stark off my back.” He smiled at her, hoping he wasn’t crossing a line.   
“I would like that.” She smiled and looked down in what looked like a coy expression.  
“The event starts at seven. Can I pick you up around six thirty?”  
“Sure, my address is in the file on your desk. What’s the dress code?”   
“Black tie, including dinner.”  
“I will be dressed appropriately.”   
He went back to his office smiling, he would call Tony that he would be bringing a plus one and he knew that he would surprise him with the kind of woman he was bringing. Now for the troubles with Tony. 

Natasha Romanova was walking through the New York streets. Her eyes fell on a magazine with her face on the cover. ‘The truth about the Black Widow’ it said. She quickly bought a copy and found a place to read the article. Her heart fell. There was her whole history, how she had been trained as an assassin. There was an expansive and almost complete list of her victims. ‘Reliable sources’ spilled on the missions she did for her former employers. Questions are being raised about her defection, could she still be a Russian spy? There were even pictures of her childhood and early adulthood.  
She took her phone out of her handbag and called a number.  
“Phil Coulson’s office, how may I help you?”  
“Natasha Romanova for the director.”  
“I will put you through.”  
“Phil Coulson.”  
“Phil, it’s Natasha, can you get a copy of Now magazine? Latest issue? I’m coming over. They featured a 6 page spread on me. But it’s bad, someone has spilled everything about my past, they even question my defection.”  
“I will get the magazine, you come over here as quickly as possible.”  
Phil hung up the phone. All he thought was, that makes two. He walked up to his secretary asked her to get the magazine in question, and deliberated whether he should warn all the Avengers to lay low. His secretary returned with the magazine and he quickly skimmed the article. It was quite damning and suggestive in the way it was written. Natasha came barging in his office and slumped into the chair across from his desk. Phil looked up from the magazine, he looked worried.   
“Any idea who these reliable sources might be?”  
“I could think of some, must be someone from my Russian past. They must have earned a pretty penny by spilling it all.”  
“I will put an investigative team on it.” She nodded. “Natasha, there is something you should know. You are not the first one who is being targeted by unknown forces. Someone is killing off Tony’s flings.”  
“What are you implying?”  
“Be careful. They might say two is a coincidence, three is a pattern, but I don’t believe in coincidences, so when two Avengers’ reputations and lives are being hurt, I see a pattern.”  
“Hydra?”  
“Well, subversive is their style. But breaking down reputations would be a new tactic. One that could prove very efficient if they do it right. While we investigate, I would advise you to wait to see if other media pick up on this story. If they do, you give a press conference, telling your side of the story. Make it juicy. Don’t hide.”  
“Alright.” Natasha was hesitant.   
“This isn’t my first rodeo, Natasha.”  
“Thank you, Phil. Your help means a lot. But I want in on the investigative team.”  
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?”  
“If a field operation comes out of it, I want in.”  
“Of course.”  
After Natasha left his office, Phil slumped in his chair. He took a few seconds to get himself together and called Steve.  
“Steve, can you get the gang together at Tony’s. We need to talk.”  
“Phil, what’s this about?”  
“I will tell you tonight. But believe me it’s important.”  
“I will call the rest.”  
“Thank you, Steve.”  
Phil put his head in his hands. Now he had seven problems. Six avengers under fire and one blond consultant who agreed to be his plus one. He decided to get a workout to get his eye on the prize, which was Avengers first, other things later. He changed into his workout clothes and walked into the gym, only to find that getting his eye on the prize would be very difficult here. Running on one of the treadmills, with her back to him, was Annika, running in yoga pants and a skin-tight tank top. He swallowed, but decided to start his warming-up on the treadmill next to her.   
“Oh, hello Phil.” She was panting slightly.  
“Hello Annika.” He saw the way the sweat glistened on her neck and shoulders, a drop of sweat dripping down her throat slowly making its way down her chest where... Phil shook his head and turned on the treadmill. Annika turned hers down. He saw her doing her cooling down stretch exercises on the mat next to the treadmills. He made his treadmill go a little slower so he could follow her movements. He turned it back up again when she started walking toward him.   
“I must say I am actually looking forward to Saturday.” She said. “Thank you for inviting me.” She wiped a loose strand of hair behind her ear.   
“You’re welcome.” Phil smirked at her.   
“I’ll let you get on with your workout, I have some more work to do.” She smiled at him and walked away. Phil wasn’t sure what hit him. He wasn’t the kind of man to meet a woman and lust after her. He was the kind of man who would build a relationship first and go from there. He turned the speed up a bit more, but couldn’t get the image of this woman under the shower, where she would undoubtedly be right now, out of his head. 

Phil walked into the bar area of Stark Towers. All six avengers were there, and also Pepper and Jane.  
“I take it you have talked to each other and probably already know what happened to Tony and Natasha. I see a pattern and we need to act. Someone is trying to ruin you guys.”  
“What do you want us to do?” Steve asked.   
“Act normal, be careful and think of anything that could hurt you. Clint, make sure your family is safe. Thor, they might want to hurt you through Jane, ruin her scientific reputation or take away funding. Bruce, they might want to get you angry and publicise all that happens. Steve I know you are as clean as a whistle, but you must have secrets too. I need you guys to think and report anything unusual to me. Tony, Shield has officially taken over the complete investigation on the deaths of these poor women.” They all nodded and started to talk through each other.   
“Can we focus our discussion please? One avenger at the time please.”  
“I just want to say that I will fully cooperate with the investigation, I have nothing to hide.” Tony said.   
“I do have secrets, and I will discuss them with you, but not with them.” Steve told them.  
“That embarrassing?” Phil asked. “You know that if it happened in the forties, nobody cares anymore. And they don’t care about the pictures someone took of your night with Bucky.”  
“How do you know?”  
“It is my job to know. Anything else Steve?”  
“No. I don’t think so.”  
“They will probably want to hurt you through the people you care about. Are you still with Sharon?”  
“It’s a bit on again off again.” Steve looked down, a bit embarrassed.  
“Having commitment issues, Cap?” Tony wanted to know.  
“Not me, she does.” Tony punched Steve on the shoulder. “Sorry man.”  
“I will warn her, maybe she can stay with her mom for a while.”  
“That would be good. Jane, is there any chance that someone could accuse you of plagiarism or fraudulent research?”  
“NO! Of course not.” Jane sounded very offended.  
“Okay. Be prepared that they might try. Get somewhere safe. Thor, do you think that they can hurt you outside of Jane?”  
“Well, my brother could, but I doubt it is him. Last time I saw him he was still in his cell. But things like this is his style though.”  
“It’s also Hydra’s style.” Phil said. “And I will bet my scale model of Lola that its Hydra.”   
“If it’s hydra they will probably target me next.” Steve said. “I will ask Sharon to stay with her mother for a while. I am sure you are okay with her taking some leave, Phil.”  
“Of course I am. At the moment I doubt that they will do anything so rash as attacking people who are close to you physically, so far they only worked to ruin reputations. Even though they did kill five of Tony’s flings, killing a wife or girlfriend would make you a martyr, not a bad guy.”  
They talked some more about possible ways to get hurt through the power of the media. After all of them had left Tony took Phil aside.   
“Still need that RSVP. We were supposed to act as normal as possible remember.   
“I will attend, with a plus one.”  
“Invited your secretary?”  
“No, our new consultant Norse language and mythology.”  
“You have a new consultant?”  
“Since yesterday.”  
“And you already asked her? That’s quick for you.”  
“Well I invited her as a professional courtesy, so she can meet all the players.”  
“Yes, sure and I am sure she is a ugly woman in her late fifties.”  
“Well, she is in her early thirties, and I must admit quite attractive.” Tony punched Phil in the arm. “You dog.”  
“I am taking a colleague to a business event, Tony.”


	3. Chapter 3

Phil Coulson turned on the morning news and knew what step three in the Anti-avengers plan was. There was a whole segment about Sharon Carters sex tape. He dialed Steve’s number as soon as the segment was over.   
“Have you seen it?”  
“Yes. Sharon says it was a youthful sin.”  
“The two of you should give a press conference, try to minimise the damage.”  
“Of course. I will call for one.”  
“Make sure you look like an united front, but also make sure you show those all-American values. Say something about everyone makes mistakes and everyone deserves forgiveness.”  
“I will talk about it with our communications expert, maybe she can write a statement for me.”  
“That’s a good idea. The both of you make a little statement, don’t take questions.”  
“Thank you, Phil.”  
“If you need more help, I’ll be at the office in an hour.”  
“Sure.”  
He arrived at the office an hour later. He wondered about the plan of attack and what the next step would be. He knew that they could maybe do the same to Clint as they had done to Natasha. Nobody would give a damn about a sex tape if it would involve Hawkeye, they would probably cheer him on. But if they found out more about his past, that would be a problem.   
He went ahead with the business of the day, going to lunch in the company restaurant around one. He got himself a nice club sandwich and found a seat in the corner, away from the crowd. He just started his lunch as he heard a familiar voice ask him: “Oh hello Phil, would you mind if I joined you?”  
Phil looked up, of course it was Annika. “No, of course not, sit down please.”  
“You look worried.”  
“I am worried, but what’s worrying me is classified. I am sorry.”  
“Don’t worry. I understand the concept of classifications and security clearance.” She took a bit of her goat’s cheese salad with beetroot.   
“Why don’t you tell me about what you are reading right now, might take my mind of things.”  
“I am currently reading about that berserker stick. I have read the report and making a comparison of the mythology of the old Norse Berserkers and what that professor told you. It’s quite interesting. I talked about it with the head of the department and my first real project will be making a list of possible artefacts that might be real, based on mythology. Must say that is one of the most interesting projects of my career.”  
“That is indeed interesting. Do you have any idea where are you going to start?”  
“I was thinking about a comparative study of the elder and younger Edda. Objects or powers that appear in both or maybe more than once have a greater chance of being based on something real.”  
“Keep me in de loop.”  
“Sure.”  
They talked some more about her work and after they ate their lunch they both went back to work. He watched her walk away and wondered why he found her so mesmerising. He decided to shake it off and watch Steve and Sharon’s press conference. 

“I believe forgiveness and standing by the woman you are with, regardless of who she was or what she did in the past, are all-American values, and that is the last thing I have to say about it. We will be not be taking questions and we would like to ask you to respect our privacy in these trying times.”  
Phil had watched the press conference and admired the way Sharon and Steve had handled it. He felt it was one less fire he had to put out. But he had two more to put out and was expecting three more. He first called the team that was investigating Tony’s case. They had found out that the five women had one photographer in common, someone who also sold to European magazines and the other women who had been photographed together with Tony by him were warned as they were speaking. They were looking what European magazine had shown all five photo’s, maybe they could discern a nationality of the killer that way, but it was still work in progress.   
He called the team that was investigating Natasha’s troubles. They hadn’t come any closer to a solution. One linguist said that the speech patterns in the testimony were pointing towards Russian. No big surprise there.   
After that he called Steve to congratulate him on his successful press conference, after that he called Tony to give him the news that at least the next possible targets were being warned, and Natasha to give her the news that the investigation had not wielded any real results. He advised her to give a press conference like Steve did, maybe ask the same communication professional write the speech.   
By the time he finished making all his calls he found it was already five thirty. He decided to get a small bite to eat and work out. It would take his mind of things. As he walked into the gym his feelings were mixed. On the one hand, he was relieved Annika wasn’t there, so he could concentrate on working out. On the other, he was kind of disappointed she wasn’t.


	4. Charity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil takes Annika as his plus one.

Chapter 4  
The next days were relatively uneventful. Natasha hadn’t decided yet on doing a press conference, even though the main stream press had picked up the story, albeit with a little more nuance. The investigative teams were working hard, but progress was slow. As he went to pick up Annika. He knocked on the door of her apartment. As she opened the door he was speechless. She was wearing a beautiful vintage soft pink lace evening gown. Her make-up was light, with soft pink lipstick and natural eye make-up. He must have been staring, because he asked: “You don’t like it? I can change.” “No, you look beautiful.” “Why don’t you come in? I’m running a bit late.” He walked in her apartment and was pleasantly surprised by the vintage interior with Scandinavian influences. “I like your apartment.” “Thank you, I like to surround myself with old things, so many people confuse the words new and improved.” Phil smiled, he was known for feeling the same. He walked to her bookcase, because he always felt you could learn a lot about a woman by the books in her bookcase. He was disappointed when he found out that only a small part of the books were in English. As she put on her shoes he asked her: “How many languages do you know?” “Five living ones and a three dead ones.” “Wow. That’s impressive.” “Not really. Dutch people with my level of education often know four living languages and mostly two dead ones. I only broadened it to Norwegian and old Norse.” “Still, very impressive.” “You Americans are very easily impressed. I can’t help it if you consider someone special if they are bilingual. You guys are kind of ethnocentric, you know.” Phil smiled at her. He liked it when a woman challenged his preconceptions about the world. She grabbed her purse from the counter of her kitchen and smiled. “Let’s go, we don’t want to be late.” As they walked out of the apartment together he could smell her. Her perfume was classic, he could smell rose and something else he couldn’t put a finger on. He found it enticing.  
Phil and Annika walked into the magnificent hall in a stylish hotel in New York. There must have been at least 500 people there. As they were waiting for their pre-dinner drinks at the bar Tony and Pepper approached them.  
“Ah, Tony and Pepper, meet Shields new Consultant Annika.”  
“Nice to meet you Annika.” Tony looked at the soft pink lace evening gown in appreciation. Well, he looked at the body in it in appreciation. He took her hand in his hand and kissed it. After a couple of minutes of small talk Tony told Annika and Pepper: “I am so sorry ladies, but I need to talk to Phil alone. Shield business.”  
“That’s no problem. I saw the Dutch ambassador and his wife earlier. She is a sorority sister and I really want to say hello.”  
As both Pepper and Annika walked away Tony said: “Are you doing her?”  
“No.”  
“But you want to.”  
“That’s an impertinent question, Tony.”  
“I would like to do her, if I were single she would be in my bed tonight. “  
“Tony...”  
“Phil, we’re friends, you can tell me.”  
“I do find her very attractive. And she flirts with me. She has been flirting with me since the second day. You should have seen her at the gym on Tuesday. I know it was a coincidence, but you should have seen her doing her cool-down, stretching… But she is smart and witty too, you know. She isn’t afraid to challenge me.”  
“Phil, I would think you have a crush. And not the kind you used to have on Steve, but the warm-blooded kind.”  
“I never had a crush on Steve, Tony. I just admired him when I was a kid.”  
“Never mind that Phil, go for it, dance with her after dinner and take her home.”  
“That might be your style Tony, but it isn’t mine.”  
“Take it slow then. But at least take her for a spin on the dance floor. If you don’t, I will.”  
“I’m not a very good dancer.”  
“I doubt she cares. Wow, she really does look appetising.”  
“You call a dessert appetising, not a woman, Tony.”  
“You know what, Phil, go save her from that awful ambassador, you are seated at... Pepper?” He beckoned Pepper with his hand, she came walking to him with a irritated frown on her face. “Pepper, what table are Phil and his guest seated?” “Table five sweetie.” She smiled, but Phil could read on her face that Tony would be in trouble later. “Thank you Pepper, you are a graceful hostess. Tony, we will continue our conversation at a more appropriate time.” Phil told them and walked away, to see if he could find his plus one and take her to the table they were assigned.  
As he approached her, she saw him and smiled brightly.  
“Esther, Maarten, this is Phil. I guess he is my new boss. I’m his plus one for the evening.” He shook hands with the Ambassador and his wife. The ambassador was at least 20 years older than his wife, Phil found it a little awkward, until he remembered his date was also about 20 years younger. “Dinner will start in about five minutes. Do you know what table we are assigned to?” Annika asked. “Table five. Want to go sit down?” “Please, Esther, I will call you tomorrow to set up a lunch date.” “That would be great, it’s so good to have a familiar face here, even though you live in New York and we live in D.C.” Esther told Annika. “Have a really nice evening, Annika, Phil.” Maarten wished them. As they walked to table five Annika linked her arm in his and leaned in a bit. “Thank you for saving me. You know, I really love Esther, but her husband, he is such a drag.” “You’re welcome.” He could smell her again. “You have made quite an impression on our host.” “Have I? Well that is nice.” When they found their table, Phil pulled out the chair for Annika, who sat down and thanked him. A waiter asked them what they would like to drink and poured Annika a white wine and Phil a red one. They talked to their tablemates, Phil was once again impressed when he heard her speak French to the wife of a businessman. Around dessert the two women had agreed to meet for lunch soon.  
After dinner he did as Tony told him and asked Annika to dance. As they were dancing images started flowing into his head. Instead of dancing with her in the large hall in the fancy hotel he was dancing with her in a smaller venue. Instead of her pink evening gown she was wearing a wedding dress and a veil. The image shifted to the garden of a suburban home. He was running after two small children.  
Funny, he thought. He hadn’t thought about marriage since he had to let Audrey go, he hadn’t really thought about having children since he was recruited. He always knew he had to forgo a normal life for the greater good, but now his heart was filled with hope. Weird how he could have such feelings for a woman he only knew for a couple of days. He looked at her and she smiled at him. “Everything alright?” She asked. “Everything is perfect.” He swirled her around and she giggled. The sound of her laughter made his other troubles disappear.  
After the event he brought her home. At the door she seemed to linger. He was surprised when she kissed him, not on the cheek, but a small, chaste kiss on his lips.  
“I am sorry, did I read you wrong.”  
“No, you didn’t, you just surprised me.”  
“Good.” She kissed him again, short and sweet, before walking into her apartment and closing the door.  
On the way home his mind was spinning. He had no idea what was going on with him. He wasn’t the kind of guy to fall in love easily, to jump into things. He thought that maybe that was what real love was, or at least love at first sight. He never had experienced it before, but he liked it.


	5. where the evening leads us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annika invites Phil over.

Chapter 5  
The following Monday Natasha had let him know she would do the press conference. He was relieved. If she would do it right, one more of his troubles would go away.   
In the late afternoon, most people had already left he was walking through one of the long walkways in Shield HQ. He saw Annika on the other side of it. She was wearing a beautiful vintage wrap dress in a navy colour. There was no one else in the entire walkway. She smiled at him and his mind flooded with images again. This time they were not so innocent. He saw himself taking her by the wrist and whisking her away into the supply closet halfway. He tried to shake it off, but as she came closer, the images became more vivid. Images of kissing her against the door of the cabinet, touching her body, the way she would react to his touch. They were almost passing each other.   
“Hello Philip.” The way she had said his full name, pushed him over. He grabbed her wrist and whisked her away into the supply closet, pushing her against the door on the inside of it. He kissed her, softly at first, but when she responded, he kissed her a bit more roughly. He put his hand on her hip, her hands on the back of his head.   
“I want you, right here, right now.” He said, completely out of character, like someone else was saying it.   
“Philip, I want this too, believe me, but not like this. Anyone could walk in on us. Why don’t you come over to my place tonight. Around eight. We’ll see where the evening leads us.” She looked away during the last sentence, slightly blushing. She straightened out her clothing, fixed his tie, grabbed a notebook, a pen, a highlighter and two pencils from the shelves, and walked out. He saw that there were people in the hallway, looking at them coming out of the closet and she just smiled and said: “Thank you so much for helping me find the supplies I needed, Phil.” And walked the other way. He was dumbfounded by her cool-headedness and smart thinking. It gave them both the perfect little alibi for being in that closet together. He decided to wrap up the day and get ready for his date, was it a date? with Annika.   
A couple of hours later he stood in front of her door. Again. This time he hesitated before he knocked. Was he sure he was going to do this? Was he really going in to ‘do’ his new consultant? Wasn’t that inappropriate? He threw caution in the wind and knocked. She opened with a smile, she was wearing the same dress she had been at work, but had taken off her shoes, she was barefoot now. All his doubts had dissipated the moment he saw her.   
“Hi, you came.”  
“Yes.” Was all he said. He didn’t know what else he should say. He couldn’t say I came here because you invited me to fuck. He was too much of a gentleman for that.  
“Good.” She stepped away so he could walk in.   
“Would you like a drink?” He walked around in her apartment again. He felt it was crazy how much she had the same interests as him. Again his mind flooded with images of a suburban life. He felt warm inside, a mix of affection and desire.   
She walked in with two glasses of red wine. She walked up to him and gave him one of the glasses.   
“I must say I have no idea how to do this. I have never done this before.” She admitted.   
“Never did what?”  
“Invite a man over in my apartment to see where the evening leads. With the clear signals that were given off this afternoon.” Phil smiled at her. Images of kissing her flooded his head. He took a sip from his glass, put it down and followed the images. He grabbed her wrist gently, pulled her toward him and kissed her. He couldn’t believe she was actually responding to his kiss, with her whole body. He pressed her against the wall of the apartment, one of her hands around his neck the other on his hip, moving to his ass. He used one hand for support, the other he put on her waist. He moved it down, to her hip, her leg, the hem of her dress. He moved her dress up her leg, exposing it. He felt waves of desire flooding over him, taking him over. He linked his fingers under her panties, trying to pull them down. Her hand stopped him. She took his hand, wormed herself from between the wall and him and guided him toward her bedroom.  
Even her bedroom was furnished in a vintage style. A huge antique bed was standing in the middle of it. His mind was flooded again with images, this time of her underneath him, naked and beautiful. Funny, he thought, he normally didn’t have a lot of little fantasies like this, taking him over. He was wondering what was different about this time.   
Having sex with Annika was different from all the times he had slept with other women. Images, fantasies and feelings kept flowing over him, almost drowning him. He saw her face when she had an orgasm and was flooded with affection and lust, he felt her move underneath him when he was inside her and felt the desire to be like this forever. His orgasm was one of the most intense he ever had.  
Afterwards he looked at her lying next to him.   
“I am so in love with you.”  
She smiled and said: “Silly, that’s just the chemicals in your head, falling in love doesn’t happen in a week.” She got up, wrapped a sheet around her body and walked into the living room. She came back with the glasses of wine. She gave him one, sat down next to him and drank a sip.   
“Well if that’s where the evening leads if I invite you over, I should do it more often.” She smirked at him, he put his hand behind her head, pulling her face closer to his for a kiss. “I would like that.”   
“Do you want to sleep over? Or do you have an early morning?” He hadn’t expected this question. She gave him a choice and he felt like she would be okay with both options.”  
“I am sorry, but I do happen to have an early morning. But I can stay for a while longer.”  
She moved over a little more, sat down next to him, he put his arm around her. He could smell her hair and felt a wave of affection wash over him. So there they were sitting, drinking wine in bed, naked. He had no idea what had brought him here in such short time.   
That night he had crazy dreams, some were sexual in nature, but others were more mundane. He dreamt the same images about a wedding and the house in the suburbs he had seen when he was dancing with Annika at the charity event. The dreams were really vivid and felt real. And as he woke he could remember all of them, even though he usually didn’t really remember his dreams.


	6. Confidante

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil confides in Annika after Natasha's press conference

Chapter 6  
Natasha’s press conference had gone disastrous. She was too stubborn and sharp-tongued for the American press. And while Steve Rogers had always been the press’s favourite, Natasha couldn’t fix her problems this way.   
Phil was pacing his office, worrying about how he would fix this, when Natasha came into his office.   
“Phil, I took your advice, but it was a disaster, how the hell am I going to fix this?”  
“I have no idea, Natasha. I have no idea. Let me think about it. Maybe it will just blow over?”  
“I don’t think it will, Phil.”  
“Let me think about it, consult with my staff.”  
“I am going to lay low for a while, you know where to find me.”  
“I do.” Natasha stormed out of his office. Phil found it hard to concentrate. He had some real issues but all he could focus on was Annika. He hated he had become weak when the avengers were under attack. He was deliberating whether he should tell her that he needed to pause whatever it was they were having until the heavy weather had passed. But he feared he would lose her if he put this on hold. Lost in thought he hadn’t noticed Annika was leaning on the doorpost, just looking at him. He looked up, saw her smile.   
“How long have you been standing there?”  
“I was just enjoying the view.” She smirked a little. “Trouble in paradise?”  
“Yes, have you seen Natasha’s press conference?”  
“No, that bad?”  
“Natasha is just a difficult person to love, sharp edges.” Annika sat down on the chair opposite his desk.  
“Why don’t you tell me about it. Everyone needs someone to confide in. Especially men with a lot on their shoulders.” Phil sighed. He wanted to confide in her and so he did, he spilt it all, the things that were going on, his fears and doubts.


	7. Clint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint is in trouble, Tony invites Phil to dinner.

Chapter 7  
They spend seven or eight weeks in bliss. Hydra seemed to keep calm at the moment. Yet Phil remained vigilant. He knew how it easy it was to be lulled into a false sense of security. The problems with Natasha had mostly blown over, as there was a big scandal with a high up politician and people didn’t seem to care about Natasha anymore. She was still laying low, but she was feeling a little better now. Phil enjoyed his time with Annika, the nights in her apartment, the weekends he spend showing her around New York.   
During a picnic in Central Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon he asked her why she was with him. “Shouldn’t you be with someone your own age?”  
“Sweetie, there comes a time in the life of a woman where she prefers intelligence, a sense of humour and a cute smile over a six-pack and youthful arrogance. And you are a very attractive man, not only are you powerful, but have you looked in a mirror recently?” She smirked at him, fed him a grape, and he just felt happy.   
But his happiness soon went to the background the next day. Part four of the hydra attack plan had gone into effect. Clint’s past was revealed. Not only the childhood in a circus, which people could have gotten over, but especially his criminal activities together with Natasha. It would not only look bad on Clint, there were people calling for his arrest and trial, but also for Natasha, whose troubles had just died down.   
After talking to Clint about it, he decided to call Tony for help.   
“Tony, I need your help.”  
“Of course, Phil. You got those poor women in safety, I am sure I can return the favour.”  
“Well as the big trouble with Clint at the moment is, that he attempted to steal some of your technology, maybe you can release a statement. No harm done, you forgive him, you are not going to press charges against you dear friend. Things like that.”  
“Sure, I will get right on it.”  
“Let’s hope it will at least silence the people who want to lock him up.”  
“Let’s hope. So Pepper asked me to ask you to dinner with your new girlfriend.”  
“Girlfriend?”  
“The woman you have been spending every free hour you can find with?”  
“Oh... We haven’t really defined it yet. Just enjoying each other’s company.”  
“Well, why don’t you ask the woman whose company you enjoy to come to dinner at our place on Saturday.”  
“I will.”  
“And I must say, great job, tapping that.”  
“Tony...”  
“What?”  
“That’s no way to speak about a lady.”  
“You really care for her don’t you?”  
“Yes, I have no idea what happened. I don’t usually fall for a woman this quick. Not with Audrey, not with Roz. And the timing is so off. I should be concentrating on you guys, with these attacks, not on my personal life.”  
“You have the right to a personal life too, Phil. And just enjoy it while it lasts. Women like that... they usually don’t stay long. On the other hand... Pepper did.”  
The rest of the week Phil worked his ass off, trying to some damage control. There were only two Avengers left unscathed. He kept taps on them twice a week, but Bruce was laying low again in some remote place, just how he liked it, and Thor had some business in Asgard. It was weeks like these when he wondered why he ever accepted the position of director of Shield. Being an agent was so much less responsibility. He could just fly around and put out fires, now he had to deal with all the politics and big ego’s and he had to make the right decisions all the time.


	8. Pepper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper warns Phil about Annika

Chapter 8  
He had taken Annika to Tony and Pepper’s place for dinner, but it had been awkward to say the least. While Tony seemed to be charmed by her, Pepper wasn’t so convinced. Before they left she asked if she could talk to Phil alone.   
“Sure.” They walked to her office.  
“Are you sure about Annika? There seems to be something off about her.”  
“Off?”  
“Can’t really put my finger on it. You and Tony both seem totally taken by her, but I don’t really see it.”  
“Are you jealous? Not because of me, but because of Tony.”  
“It isn’t jealousy. I have gotten used to Tony looking at other women. And I know where he sleeps tonight and I also know where she sleeps tonight. It’s just, it’s a very bad time for you to be distracted.”  
“I have thought about that too. Would it make you feel better if I would have her screening done again? And I will be careful.”  
“I am glad you think about things before you give your heart away.”  
Phil smiled, “That ship has sailed...”  
“Oh...Phil, please be careful. Before she is going to break your heart. I don’t want to see your heart broken again.”She put her arms around him and gave him a big hug.   
“Don’t worry about me Pepper, I can take it.” He broke off the hug.   
“It’s just you are a real good friend, I don’t want to see you get hurt.”  
“I’ll be okay Pepper. But thanks for your concern.”  
The first thing he did when he got to the office on Monday was order an extensive background check on Annika. Although he cared for her and was sure it would all be okay, he had promised his friend Pepper and he kept his promises.   
When it came back a couple of days later he found that she was clean, but maybe just a little too clean. A perfect credit score, never have come into contact with the justice system, she had some prior relationships but nothing serious, just like she had told him.   
He asked the researcher to dig even further. When the researcher told him that he couldn’t dig any further without going to Europe, Phil decided to let it go. He wasn’t going to send a researcher to Europe, because his new girlfriend (girlfriend, he should talk to her about that), made his friend’s spidey-sense tingle.


	9. Hail hydra sweetie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phils heart gets broken.

Chapter 9  
The next few weeks became a rollercoaster for him again. There had been videos leaked of the hulk and Jane Fosters scientific reputation had been destroyed by accusations of plagiarism and faulty research methods. He felt like Annika was his only safe haven. He was working frantically during the day to put out all these fires, which seemed to be flaring up all the time, so when he could spend a little time with the blond he considered himself lucky.   
That night he considered himself extra lucky as she had offered to cook for him at his place. He had found that she was an excellent cook, which of course elated his foodie heart.   
She knocked, and when he opened the door for her she had a large paper bag with food in her arms. He let her in, kissed her and watched her take the bag into the kitchen.   
“You go sit. Want a beer? I’ve bought cold beers!”  
“Sure.” He went to sit on his couch, going over some reports. He didn’t look up when she walked into his living room, but was shocked when he didn’t see a beer, but a gun in her hand.   
“Stay right there, director.” She sounded cold. Phil was too shocked to do anything. He felt paralyzed.  
“You didn’t think this was real, did you? You and me? You didn’t really think a woman like me could ever fall for you? I am almost twenty years younger than you, and just look at me. My employers send me, to distract you and now to finish you off.” He felt his heart breaking.   
“And just who are these employers.”  
“Hail Hydra sweetie.” Phil closed his eyes and sighed. He should never have let anyone get so close. He was preparing for an attack.   
“Stay right there director.” Her positioning and stance told him that she was an absolute professional. Why had he never seen it before?   
“Don’t worry director, there were some good times, the sex was awesome, those things you do with that mouth of yours. First time I never had to fake it.” The shot followed, and he was surprised to find he was still alive. She had shot him in the shoulder. She had fled his apartment before he could come to the realisation what just had happened. When he found he was bleeding quite severely he called 911. He lost conscientiousness when they slid the gurney with him on it in the ambulance.


	10. the truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha files her report on Annika.

Chapter 10  
Natasha came in to bring him the finished report on Annika.  
“How bad is it?”  
“Bad, you can count yourself lucky to be alive. She is like a hydra version of me.”  
He started reading the report on Annika. It was all quite clear.  
She was a genetic experiment, made only to seduce and kill men. She could excrete pheromones at will, making men lust after her if she wanted too, she could subtly put images, thoughts and feelings in someone’s head, like Wanda could, but while Wanda used fear and regret, she preyed on the hopes and dreams of men. She was a chameleon who could learn any skill in a short time and she studied her targets, so she could become the perfect woman for them. For him she had become an intelligent consultant, with a good sense of humour, a fondness for vintage things and excellent cooking skills. He couldn’t believe he was such an easy prey. On the other hand, he wasn’t an easy prey. He had survived the attack, most targets hadn’t. He had some lingering feelings for her and wondered where she was. He knew she had probably gone underground, studying her next target. They had searched her apartment, but found it empty. He had send Natasha to investigate, with the report in his hands as the outcome.   
Phil was right, Annika was already studying her next target, a wealthy businessman from Scandinavia. The fact that she had learned Norwegian for her last job made learning the skills for this one much easier. But she felt empty this time. Previously a new job gave her new energy, she made plans in her head how to proceed. But she didn’t want to seduce someone new anymore. Her thoughts kept lingering on the gentle director she had shot. It was very possible he had survived, she had aimed for a non lethal area. She smiled when she thought of the possibility of his survival. Three months had passed. She spend it in a remote village in the German countryside called Neukirchen-Pleisse near Dresden and Leipzig. The idea of continuing on this path became torture in her mind. She didn’t want to be Hydra’s whore anymore. She set her mind on an escape plan. But could she ask for his help? Would he give her a second chance after she had betrayed him in the worst possible way, after those vicious things she had said?   
She asked her handler if it would be okay to go shopping so she could get ready for her next assignment. Her handler trusted her implicitly and even gave her an extra credit card. She did go shopping, it would be suspicious if she came back empty handed. But she also went into a electronics shop, buying a burner phone.   
Phil was sitting at his desk when an unknown German number popped up on the screen of his mobile. Only a very select group of people had this number and he wouldn’t refuse a call of any of them.   
“Coulson.”  
“Philip, it’s me.” Phil’s heart skipped a beat. He thought about hanging up, but he decided to hear her out anyway.   
“Yes.”  
“I want out, you are the only one who can help me, please let me come in.”  
“You know you will be locked up and studied if I let you come in. I will not be able to see you, because you might influence me.”  
“I understand, I just don’t want to be hydra’s whore anymore.”  
“Where are you?”  
“Leipzig, but I am staying around 70 kilometres from here.”  
“Be on the bridge in Dresden a week from now, noon. Natasha will pick you up.”  
“Thank you.” She sighed. “Philip.”  
“Yes.”  
“I am sorry for the vicious things I said.”  
“So am I. But everyone deserves a second chance.”  
“Goodbye Philip.”  
“Goodbye Annika.”  
Phil called Natasha as soon as he hung up.   
“Natasha, I need your help.”  
“What can I do for you?”  
“She called and wants to come in.”  
“And you want me to kill her on the rendezvous points, sure.”  
“No I want you to rendezvous with her, take an all-female team. Bring her in.”  
“Are you fucking kidding me? She tried to kill you.”  
“Everyone deserves a second chance, Fury gave you one.”  
“I didn’t seduce Fury to break his heart and attempt to assassinate him.”  
“True.”  
“Are you still in love with her?”  
“There are some residual feelings, but I understand now that it was all fake. I told her she will be a prisoner and she will be studied, she is okay with that. She just wants out.”  
“Then I will get her out.”  
“Thank you Natasha.”


	11. extraction and debriefing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha extracts Annika from Hydra.

Chapter 11  
Annika was sitting on a bench on the Augustusbrücke in Dresden. It was 11.55 am. She was nervous, but absolute sure she wanted to go through with it. She saw Natasha coming into view and got up. She was surprised when Natasha hugged her, but less surprised when the woman whispered in her ear: “If it were up to me I would have killed you. Act like were friends going to lunch. My team will extract you from the restaurant were going to. If Hydra is following you they will not know until you are far away.   
“Thank you Natasha. And believe me, I would want to kill me too, if I were you. I hurt someone you care about, someone we both care about.” Natasha let go, but linked her arm in Annika’s.   
“You are telling me you care about him?” Annika looked away in shame, blushing.   
“You do... so that’s why he is the first to survive. You aimed at his shoulder, not at his heart. Is that the reason you want to come in, because you have gone soft?” Annika just shrugged.   
“You know you don’t get to see him right, that you are not going to be together again.”  
“I know, Natasha, but I just don’t want to do it anymore, seduce my targets, sleep with them, kill them. I’d rather be a prisoner for the rest of my life than being forced to do that one more time. And we all know how Hydra treats their agents when they don’t have use for them anymore. How many years do you think I have in me? Seven, maybe ten. Better get out now.”  
“We will debrief you as soon as were back in the facility. God, I can’t believe you actually have feelings for him...”  
“I may be genetically altered, but I am not a robot.”  
They walked into a restaurant.   
“After lunch, you go to the toilet. In the toilet there is a closet. Enter the closet. My team will extract you through the basement. You will be on a plane within an hour.” Natasha ordered lunch.   
“So, assassin to assassin, was this your first botched kill?”  
“Yes.”  
“So this whole feelings thing never happened before.”  
“No.”  
Natasha started the debrief, sending a second team to Schloss Schweinsburg, where the hydra base was. Annika told her that six of her ‘sisters’ were also staying there. She also divulged the location of a similar location with male assassins with the same powers. After lunch, Annika went to the toilet, entered the closet, where a female operative took her down a flight of stairs, into a basement, the basement led to a tunnel, they walked for about 20 minutes, went up a flight of stairs, into a house, out in the street, where a car was waiting. She got into the car, they drove for 30 minutes and arrived at a small airfield. She got into a plane and as soon as she got her seatbelt on the plane lifted off.   
The plane flew straight to the shield facility in New York. She was taken to a holding cell, they took blood. She was treated well, although they tested her, studied her, debriefed her. They found a combination of medication that repressed her abilities.   
Phil received first daily and later weekly updates on her. After three months he consulted with her doctor, Jemma Simmons and Melinda May, who had been debriefing her.   
“Do you think her abilities are sufficiently suppressed?”  
“I think they are, she has been really cooperative.”  
“Do you think it would be safe for me to go in, talk to her.”  
“Sure.”  
“Mel, do you think she can be trusted?”  
“I think she can.”  
“Would you offer her the job.”  
“Yes, Shield can use an agent like her. Very useful.”  
“Thanks ladies.”  
Phil got up and walked up to Annika’s cell. He looked through the little window in the door. She was reading a book. As a courtesy he knocked.   
“Enter.” He opened the door.   
“Hello Annika.”  
“Hello Philip.”  
“I am here to offer you a job.”


End file.
